WILLIAM JEWELL COLLEGEWilliam Jewell College Histories

Introduction

William Jewell College, a private liberal arts college of about 1100 students, was founded in 1849 in Liberty, Mo., as a Baptist men’s college. Initial funds were provided by Dr. William Jewell, a physician, legislator, and Baptist layman. Instrumental in establishing the college in Clay County was Mexican War hero Alexander Doniphan, who named the college in honor of Jewell. Also involved in the school’s establishment was Robert S. James, a Baptist minister and father of the infamous Frank and Jesse James. The school’s main building, Jewell Hall, was used by the Union army during the Civil War, though many residents of Clay County were Southern sympathizers. The college expanded during the late nineteenth century, building the first separate college gymnasium building west of the Mississippi in 1896. Women began to be admitted in 1920, and a naval flight preparatory school came to Jewell during World War II. William Jewell College continued to grow through the mid- and late-twentieth century, creating new academic and overseas studies programs. Jewell is home to the Missouri Baptist Historical Society and the Partee Center for Baptist Historical Studies. It also features the Oxbridge Honors Program, in which participating students take one-on-one tutorials with faculty tutors and spend a year studying at Cambridge or Oxford.

The Collection

This collection contains three histories of William Jewell College published in 1893, 1967 and 1999 and a memoir draft covering 1903 to the 1950s.

Rights and Reproductions

Rights and Reproductions
Copyright is held by William Jewell College. These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact the Charles F. Curry Library at (816) 415-7609 or email libinfo@william.jewell.edu for more information.